Quickening

Quickening
Written by Jeffrey Bell
Directed by Skip Schoolnik

Original Airdate: November 12, 2001

Plot: As Angel and company attempt to discover the exact nature of the baby Darla is carrying, Wesley and Fred unlock a few more secrets of the prophecy concerning Angel's child. Meanwhile, Holtz continues to adjust to life in the 21st Century and yearns to hunt down and destroy his prey, Wolfram and Hart catch wind of the fact that Darla's pregnant and send their plans into overdrive to get hold of and study the baby and a vampire cult that sees the child as a vampire Chosen One closes in on Darla...

Review

Warning: We're keeping a watchful eye on them, but those SPOILERS do have a huge tendency to slip out at unexpected moments for the latest episode of Angel, "Quickening." If you've not yet seen the episode and would like to go into the story unaware, I strongly suggest you turn back now...

In short: A lot going on, but well balanced.

Anyone else get the feeling while watching "Quickening" that we were being treated to a nicely done middle part of a trilogy of episodes on Angel?

I certainly felt that way.

If last week was the foundation, then "Quickening" served as the framing structure for what looks to be a spectacular conclusion to the latest trilogy on Angel (what is it with Angel and trilogies, BTW?!?). And I'll admit it. I am hooked to see where all of this comes out, though I've got some definite thoughts and ideas of where all this might be going. And it looks as though this trilogy and its consequences may extend far beyond just this series of three episodes. I have a feeling that things are being set in motion that we'll see played out for the rest of the season.

And if that's so, then count me in for the ride.

(Like I wasn't hooked already).

The middle part of a trilogy of stories can always be the most difficult. It's essential the story that wants to take the elements from the first part and move them forward, but not so far forward that you ruin the final leg of the story. I've seen other shows attempt to do this--with various success. Even Angel did it last year with the Pylea trilogy--and I honestly felt the middle segment was the weakest of the three stories we saw.

However, here, there are enough storylines to really carry the trilogy through and have it work.

And each storyline was interesting and held my attention. And seeing them switch back and forth was nicely done. I never felt as though the one storyline was being neglected, though I will admit I really locked into the Holtz storyline and would love to have seen more done there. But, I will also say that I was glad that it didn't take over the entire show.

The Holtz storyline continued to flesh out the character. We already knew that Angelus had murdered his family, but I don't think we yet knew the extend of what an evil you-know-what Angelus was in robbing Holtz of his family. The prologue scene chilled me--especially Angel and Darla tricking the young girl into letting them into their home and then forcing the mother to watch as her daughter was fed on. It's a stark reminder of just how far Angel has come since his killing and pillaging days and just how many sins he has to atone for. It also gives us some insight into just why Holtz isn't going to believe that Angel has come as far as he has and is willing to kill him, no matter what.

I also liked the fact that we got to see Holtz agreeing to come forward two-centuries in time for his chance to hunt down Angel and Darla. The early scene with Holtz and the demon was intriguing. Not only did we get to understand how despondent Holtz was, but we got to see how his fire for vengeance didn't die down after even six years and that he is obsessed enough to do whatever it takes to find and destroy Angelus. It's really why I've identified so far with Holtz as a villain. Yes, he's out to kill Angel, but he has some very compelling reasons to do so. I think the best villains are those who feel that what they are doing is totally justified and that it must be done for a reason. If you've watched Farscape, you might be like me and think of the villain of the show, Scorpius as being like Holtz. On Farscape, Scorpius is utterly convinced that what he's doing is right--to save not only himself but his race. And, yes, along the ways he's resorted to some pretty brutal methods to get what he wants--but it's ends justifying a means. And that's where I think we're coming from with Holtz.

And why I hope that he doesn't have a sudden "lights on" moment where he suddenly wakes up and realizes Angel is a good-guy now. Seeing him hunt down Angel all year might be interesting, especially since it appears Holtz has a special knowledge of Angel and how he operates. I'd love to see an episode that finds Holtz plotting one step ahead of Angel to try and destroy him and watching Angel have to avoid the snares and traps that are set for him.

The Holtz plotline also brings up another interesting point--just why is the demon who brings Holtz through time so interested in destroying Angel? There appears to be some hatred there, but I wonder if it's something more. This is a plot thread that is left out there and a door that's open for some exploration. I really hope that we get some development there.

Meanwhile, lurking around in the shadows, we have Gavin, Lillah and Wolfram and Hart, up to their usual no good.

We learn that Gavin has installed bugs in Angel Investigations to monitor was Angel is up to. As with the demon who brings Holtz to our time, there is something more to Gavin, I think. He's a bit too much of a go-getter and I would really like to see some exploration of just why he's so obsessed with fighting and destroying Angel.

And it is interesting to see Wolfram and Hart, once again, work to hit Angel where it hurts.

I also get the feeling that Lillah is beginning to reap what she sewed last year. All last year, we saw her constantly one-up and stab Lindsey in the back. Now, the shoe is on the other foot as she competes with Gavin. We certainly saw this last night when she was told that she would be hung out to dry if things went badly with trying to retrieve Darla's child. It makes you wonder if this might not be Lindsey's entrance to the show this year, with Lillah calling him for help when she gets in over her head, which it appears that she is doing.

Also, while I liked the fact that Gavin sent the CD-Rom with her attempted tryst with Angel, I wonder how exactly they knew that Angel was taken over by an old-man. Yes, there's the surveillance equipment, but as we saw, it's not always reliable. Plus, I would think that Gavin would want to keep the knowledge that it was an old man inside Angel from Lillah in an attempt to blackmail her further. I have a feeling we will see that CD-Rom again as the season progresses.

But at the center of all these mechanizations is the plot that was central to last week's episode--and is still a focus here, Angel and Darla's baby. This week, we've found out that it's human and that Angel is having a son. I loved seeing Angel's reaction to this. David Boreanaz really carried off the part well and did a nice job of showing the joy and trepidation that Angel must feel as event after event continues to roll in as to the nature of his offspring.

Also, Julie Benz did a nice job as Darla. Seeing her fear at being in labor, her desire to rid herself of the pain inside her and then her delight at bearing the chosen one and being worshipped by the vampires was nicely done. She was a bit flat at times last week, but she really rebounded well here and did a nice job.

As for the vampire cult, I found this interesting, even if it did seem a bit rushed at times. However, I will say that in an episode that was as plot heavy as this one was, it didn't bother me that much. There was so much interesting information coming out on screen that I was caught up enough in all of it to not be too upset. As for their child being the chosen one, this could be hugely interesting (especially if you saw the preview and if what I think is going to happen, happens.) Surely it will be interesting to see Darla rally around the idea that she's the mother of the chosen one and to see if and how she tries to exploit that. It may also show a contrast in the characters to see the parenting differences and how they react to the baby between Darla and Angel. We saw a bit of that here with Darla's getting gleeful that vampires worship her now and she has power, while Angel was clearly a proud papa and a bit off-put by the vampire cult and their worship.

But the biggest payoff was that all of these plotlines finally intersected in a huge cliffhanger.

Even though parts of this plotline were a bit telegraphed, I bought them completely. It came as no huge shock that Holtz would waltz in and mop up the floor with Wolfram and Hart's commando team and that he'd be waiting there for Angel when he went back to the hotel alone. And it was certainly no shock that Wolfram and Hart lost the video feed--thus adding to the suspense of the moment for the audience. Nor must I say that it was shocking that Darla went into labor--hey, it's a good cliffhanger and has been for years. Yes, it was a series of clichés, but then again, it was a series of clichés that came out of some smart plots that were engaging. And yes, they all have me on the edge of my seat for next week (and honestly wishing that I'd not watched the preview for next week. I have a strong feeling it gave away a LOT of the plot twists...which is a shame really. But I guess that'll teach me)

So, I guess that's about it for now, except a few small things.

--Cordelia's comment about Wesley's bringing up things that none of them had thought about was a nice moment.

--Boy, Angelus was one heck of a bastard before he got his soul. The glee he and Darla had when they heard Holtz's baby crying was just a scary and chilling moment.

--I liked how Gavin sent the mail-room clerk to trick Lillah. Gavin is worming his way into high places and Lillah had better watch her back.

Well, that wraps it up for now. Overall, a solid middle installment to a trilogy. It did what it needed to do--moved the plots forward and left me hanging for next week. Man, it's going to be a long seven days.

My rating: 8.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Darla's in labor, Holtz is back, and Wolfram and Hart want the baby.